This invention is directed to a helmet and stop combination device for use by sports participants.
One of the long-standing concerns in contact sports is the serious injuries, including concussions, paralysis, or even death, resulting from impact to the head. Among the most serious injuries are caused by blows to the top of the head which are strong enough to compress or even break the person's neck or spine. While the sport of football comes immediately to mind, other sports, such as skiing, ice hockey, or even competitive bicycle riding take their toll.
In these types of injuries, even if the person is wearing a modern helmet protection, the heaviest blows transmit the impact to the neck and the upper spine. Therefore, to a significant extent, the modern helmet which tends to give the participant a false sense of invincibility merely transfers the danger of injury from the head to the spine. Further, despite penalties and rules, the participant, in the heat of football competition, commonly uses the helmeted head as a weapon to defeat the opponent.
Common approaches to the problem include foam neck braces which are worn on top of shoulder protection and tend to cushion the impact, particularly for blows to the side of the head. However, these devices have virtually no effect on impacts to the top of the head which are transmitted directly to the spine.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,917 to Sims, a protective device is illustrated with a resilient foam rubber collar or an inflatable collar which is large enough to contact the lower edge of the helmet shell. The use of the device is illustrated by a forearm blow to the players face causing contact of the helmet with the rear portion of the collar. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,408 to Gaines, a sports helmet is braced by direct connection between the helmet and a force distributing device worn over the shoulder for protection of the cervical spine. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,563, to Veale, a mobile-cervical extension and supporting apparatus is provided for an injured person to immobilize the head, neck, and sternum in proper alignment subsequent to an injury as a result of trauma. An older version is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,474,200 to McBee describing a cervical splint to immobilize the patient's head and neck after an injury.
None of the above devices satisfy the needs described above nor attain the objects described herein below.